Dissemination

Siena (Italy), 26-27 May 2017

Transnational Conference

Foreign national inmates and prison systems: issues, resources and perspectives

The “RiUscire” project (2014 – 2017) is offering a discussion forum to some experts on forms and modalities for inmates’ rehabilitation. Experts can thus share views on an analysis proposal relevant to one of the most important issues of contemporary societies interested by strong migration flows: the management of linguistic and cultural diversity in a context of marginalisation like in prison.

During the Conference three macro topics will be developed: they are linked to teaching/learning foreign and second languages in prison, the training of prison staff and teachers, and the management of cultural diversities:

European policies on integration of diversity brought by migrants;

Management of diversity and of linguistic contacts in marginalized contexts for inmates;

Measures to counter radicalization leading to violence based on intercultural education.

Training day “Teaching and inclusion: communicative, cultural and Italian aspects”

Know the main aspects of communication in a multilingual environment; acquire intercultural communication strategies; being able to recognize communication events in the prison area; be able to decode the linguistic and cultural specificities of the subjects involved in the communication event, manage the teaching practice in classes with subjects of diverse language, culture and training.

Presentation of the RiUscire Project in front of an audience of teachers and students of the Institute of Roman Studies in Graz.

On 15 November 2016, Benucci and Carmignani presented the RiUscire project and shared the first research results in front of an audience of teachers and students. The action is configured as a dissemination of the project results and the enhancement of the same with the aim of creating a stable network of contacts and obtaining feedback from the Austrian penitentiary reality.

Bamberg (Germany), 24-28 October 2016

Dissemination and research days within the project RiUscire

To discuss the topics of the linguistic and professional training of foreign prisoners in the European prison system, with the active collaboration of the Otto Friedrich University Language Center in Bamberg and all the project partners, two days of “in – formation” are scheduled. “at the” Justizvollzugsakademie Straubing “and the” Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg “. In front of an audience of students, scholars, teachers, gathered for the occasion, the potential of the project actions will be described and shared with the hope of creating a replicable protocol and the analysis of the first data collected will also be discussed.

This initiative stems from the collaboration between the University for Foreigners of Siena and the Department of Penitentiary Administration – General Directorate of Training in Rome – and aims to train prison workers to observe cultural diversity present in the penitentiary institutions with the aim of offering tools for the management of this diversity that enhances internal plurilingualism and guarantees access to the rights of the person of foreign prisoners. Fifty prison workers selected by the General Directorate of Education in Rome will participate in the days. The scientific committee that organizes the event is composed of: Antonella Benucci, Alessandra Bormioli, Serena Carmignani, Antonella Dionisi, Maria Strangis, Patrizia Trombetti. The program of the days is attached.

The first results of RiUscire presented at the LIAM Symposium The linguistic integration of adult migrants: lessons from research organized by the Council of Europe.

The integration of migrants and the impact related to the acquisition of skills in the language of the host country, are topics of reference for political initiatives and debates in an increasing number of member States of the Council of Europe.

The RiUscire project was illustrated: the actions of the leader, Unistrasi, and members of the Universities of Bamberg and Autònoma of Barcelona, ​​illustrated the first results of the sociolinguistic survey conducted within the project.

On March 16, 2016, we were invited to participate in the first monitoring meeting on the KA2 projects that obtained funding from the National Agency in 2014.

In the first part of the morning were presented the aims of the RiUscire project with particular attention to the main beneficiaries of the project, namely foreign prisoners and prison operators. Specifically, preliminary reconnaissance activities have been described, including the administration of questionnaires; the collection of good practices in the penitentiary area; organizing training days for observing cultural diversity for prison workers and setting up linguistic and professional education actions for foreign prisoners.

The second part of the morning was dedicated to working groups organized by the National Agency with the following themes: dissemination; enhancement and criticality encountered during the management of the partnership.The meeting ended with a moment of plenary sharing.

The seminar, held on 22nd January at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​at the Faculty of Educaciò, provided the opportunity to present the actions of the RiUscire Project in the presence of representatives of the Penitentiary Services of Catalonia and represented an important moment of an exchange that involved experts who have illustrated the situations of the penitentiary contexts in their countries of origin.

The actions of the project – aimed at improving intercultural communication in prison and the linguistic and professional training of prisoners- started in September 2014 and will end in September 2017; it will take place in the various partner countries.